Method and apparatus for cleaning toner cartridge

The present invention relates generally to electronic image-forming apparatus and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for cleaning a toner cartridge.

Electronic image-forming apparatus, such as multifunctional printer and copier, is usually equipped with black or other color toners for printing grayscale or color documents. When the toner in a toner cartridge is depleted, the used toner cartridge is replaced with a new one. However, since the used toner cartridge often contains residual toner, it is necessary to clean the residual toner before refilling the cartridge with new toner for reuse.

Conventional method for cleaning residual toner typically involves an operator manually using an air gun to spray high-pressure air onto the inner wall of the toner cartridge, causing the toner to detach from the inner wall and be carried away by the airflow. However, this way will disperse toner particles into the ambient air, which not only pollutes the environment but also poses health risks to the operator if the operator inhales the toner particles. Therefore, how to effectively remove residual toner without polluting the environment or endangering human health has become an issue that the industry seeks to address.

The present invention has been accomplished in view of the above-noted circumstances. It is an objective of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for cleaning a toner cartridge, which can effectively remove residual toner from the cartridge without polluting the environment or endangering human health.

To attain the above-mentioned objective, the present invention provides a method for cleaning a toner cartridge, comprising the steps of a) taking a toner cartridge provided at a first end and a second end thereof with a first opening and a second opening, respectively, b) engaging an air-blowing connector with the first opening, c) inserting the second end of the toner cartridge into a tubular barrel, which is provided at an inside thereof with a conduit extending along an axial direction and an air nozzle connected with the conduit, in a way that when the toner cartridge is inserted into the tubular barrel, the air nozzle simultaneously extends inside the toner cartridge through the second opening, and d) drawing air from the tubular barrel to create a negative pressure inside the tubular barrel, and introducing air into the toner cartridge through the air-blowing connector, and the conduit and the air nozzle to generate an airflow to carry residual toner inside the toner cartridge through the second opening into the tubular barrel to be extracted. Accordingly, the method of the present invention can effectively remove residual toner from the toner cartridge without polluting the environment or endangering human health.

To attain the above-mentioned objective, the present invention provides an apparatus for cleaning a toner cartridge having a first opening and a second opening. The apparatus comprises a tubular barrel and an air-blowing connector. The tubular barrel comprises a barrel body for accommodating at least a part of the toner cartridge, a conduit extending along an axial direction of the barrel body and disposed inside the barrel body, and an air nozzle connected with the conduit and configured to extend into the toner cartridge through the second opening. The air-blowing connector is adapted to be disposed at the first opening of the toner cartridge. Accordingly, the apparatus of the present invention can effectively remove residual toner from the toner cartridge without polluting the environment or endangering human health.

Hereunder one embodiment will be detailedly described with accompanying drawings for illustrating technical features and structure of the present invention. As shown in, the method for cleaning a toner cartridge provided by a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps.

Step a): Take a toner cartridgehaving a first openingand a second opening, as shown in. The first openingis located at the first endof the toner cartridge, and the second openingis located at the second end. The first openingis used for outputting toner, and the second openingis used for filling or refilling toner and may, but not limited to, be formed by cutting the second endafter the toner is depleted. The toner cartridgeis the one that has been recycled after the toner is depleted, but residual toner still adheres to its inner or outer walls. In this embodiment, the first endis designated as the front end, and the second endis designated as the rear end; however, these designations can be reversed.

Step b): Engage an air-blowing connectorwith the first opening, as shown in. The air-blowing connectoris connected with, i.e. in fluid communication with, an air compressor (not shown).

Step c): Insert the toner cartridge, with its second end, into a tubular barrel, as shown in. The tubular barrelis provided at an inside thereof with a conduitand an air nozzleconnected with the conduit. The conduitextends along an axial direction A and is connected with the air compressor (not shown). With this arrangement, when the toner cartridgeis inserted into the tubular barrel, the conduitand the air nozzlesimultaneously extend into the interior of the toner cartridgethrough the second opening. As shown in, the air nozzleis provided with a plurality of outward air outletsto direct airflow to an inner wall of the toner cartridge, and an axial air outletextending in a direction parallel to the axial direction A of the tubular barrel. To prevent the toner cartridgefrom being inserted too deeply into the tubular barrel, the tubular barrelmay further include a cross-shaped stop memberdisposed on the outer wall of the conduitto stop the second endof the toner cartridge. In another embodiment, the stop membermay be disposed on an inner wall of a barrel bodyof the tubular barrel.

Step d): Draw air out from the tubular barrelto create a negative pressure inside the tubular barrel. In this embodiment, an air extraction conduit (not shown) is connected with the rear endof the barrel bodyto extract air from the barrel bodytoward the rear. Simultaneously, the air compressor sends air into the toner cartridgethrough the air-blowing connector, and through the conduitand the air nozzle. In this way, an airflow will be generated inside the toner cartridgeto carry the residual toner inside the toner cartridgethrough the second openinginto the tubular barreland then being extracted out of the tubular barrel.

The outward air outletscan direct air towards the inner wall of the toner cartridge, causing the residual toner to detach from the inner wall of the toner cartridge. The air-blowing connectorcan blow air from the front to the rear, pushing the residual toner towards the rear and out of the toner cartridgethrough the second opening. Meanwhile, the axial air outletdirects air forward, which not only creates turbulence but also directs air to reach the corners where other airflows cannot, ensuring thorough cleaning. By means of the cleaning method of the present invention, residual toner inside the toner cartridgecan be effectively removed. The extracted toner is immediately carried away by the air extraction conduit, preventing toner particles from dispersing into the ambient air, which could otherwise contaminate the environment or be inhaled by the operator. Therefore, the cleaning method provided by the present invention avoids environmental pollution and health hazards, achieving the objective of the present invention.

To achieve an even better cleaning effect, an additional step e) may be optionally performed after the step d), which involves moving the toner cartridgeback and forth within the tubular barrelfor allowing the outward air outletsto direct air toward different locations on the inner wall of the toner cartridge. Alternatively, the toner cartridgemay be rotated about the axial direction A while moving back and forth, enabling the outward air outletsto direct air toward various locations on the inner wall of the toner cartridge, thereby detaching residual toner from the inner wall in these locations.

Based on the above-mentioned technical features, various modifications to the method for cleaning the toner cartridge may be made. For instance, the order of the steps b) and c) may be exchanged, or the steps d) and c) may be performed simultaneously. Any such variations that can be easily conceived should fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

As shown in, the present invention also provides a cleaning apparatus, which is used to clean a toner cartridgehaving a first openingand a second opening. The cleaning apparatus comprises a tubular barreland an air-blowing connector.

The tubular barrelincludes a barrel bodyfor accommodating all or part of the toner cartridge, a conduitextending along an axial direction A of the barrel bodyand installed inside the barrel body, an air nozzleconnected with the conduitand adapted to extend into the toner cartridgethrough the second opening, a stop memberinstalled on an inner wall of the barrel bodyor on an outer wall of the conduitto stop the toner cartridge, and an air curtain ringinstalled at the front endof the barrel body. The inner lateral side of the air curtain ringis provided with a plurality of inward air outletsfor directing airflow to the outer wall of the toner cartridge. These inward air outletscan spray off toner adhered to the outer wall of the toner cartridgeand form an air curtain to prevent toner from escaping from the front endof the barrel body.

The air-blowing connectoris used to be installed at the first openingof the toner cartridge.

With the above-mentioned structural features, the cleaning apparatus of the present invention can effectively remove residual toner from both the interior and exterior of the toner cartridge, without polluting the environment or endangering human health. It is to be mentioned that the stop memberand the air curtain ringmay be omitted. Furthermore, the outward air outletsof the air nozzlemay be configured extending in directions including or excluding a component parallel to the axial direction A of the tubular barrel. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.